Mandatory Credit: Photo by Peter Endig/EPA/REX/Shutterstock (8187993d)
Manga Star and Inventor of Yu-gi-oh Cards Japanese Cartoonist Kazuki Takahashi at the Leipzig Book Fair Saturday 19 March 2005 Germany Leipzig
Germany Book Fair – Mar 2005 (Credits: Peter Endig/EPA/REX/Shutterstock)

Yu-Gi-Oh! creator Kazuki Takahashi was killed trying to save people from drowning, according to new reports.

The Manga artist is best-known for creating the Yu-Gi-Oh series, which went on to spark a lucrative card game and anime which became a worldwide phenomenon in the early 2000s.

Takahashi died on July 4 this year, with his death provoking an outpouring of love from fans of the series, those who were inspired by him, his friends and family.

It is now being reported that the renowned artist died while trying to save other from drowning at a popular dive spot in Japan.

Takahashi reportedly dumped into the water to save a US soldier, an 11-year-old girl and her mother who had got into difficulty at the swimming spot.

Major Robert Bourgeau spoke to military newspaper Stars and Stripes where he said the 60-year-old had tried to rescue people caught in a riptide but drowned when he got into difficulty himself.

Kazuki Takahashi has died at age 60 (pic: Anime Hunch)

Bourgeau, originally from Montana in the US, told the outlet he was serving as a scuba instructor on the day of the tragedy, when ‘conditions were really, really rough.’

He heard a woman screaming for help as her 11-year-old daughter had started drowning, along with a 39-year-old soldier, who were being swallowed by the current and being hit by six-foot waves.

The girl’s mother also got into difficulty, and Bourgeau recalled: ‘I grabbed mom and I grabbed [the girl] and I just kicked for all life.’

The Major said Takahashi had also leapt into the water to come to their aid, and one of Bourgeau’s students saw him get pulled away by the current.

Caption: FILMS… Yu-Gi-Oh! (2004); film cartoon in which Yugi must save the world by taking on his old rival Kaiba when an ancient evil is resurrected.
Provider: PUBLICITY PICTURE
Copyright: KAZUKI TAKAHASHI

The Japanese Coast Guard reportedly declined to confirm the manga artist’s involvement in the rescue attempt, however Stars and Stripes say multiple military officers detailed his actions in sworn witness statements.

It was reported at the time that a body, later found to be Takahashi’s, was discovered lying ‘prone’ about 300 metres off the coast of Nago, one of the southern islands of Japan.

Following his death, Takahashi’s agency Studio Dice turned the artist’s web page black, with a notice saying ‘this site is under pause’.

Takahashi’s Yu-Gi-Oh! manga is one of the most successful ever, with the trading card game earning a Guinness World Record in 2011 for the ‘trading card game with the highest number of sales in the world.’

It centres on a boy named Yugi Mutou, who solves an ancient Millenium Puzzle giving him access to alter-ego Yami, the King of Games.

The creator had remained a key part of the series and mot recently wrote the story for the Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions film, which was released in 2017.

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In 2015, Takahashi received Comic-Con International’s Inkpot Award, for outstanding contributions to comics, science fiction and fantasy, film, television, animation, and fandom.

Metro.co.uk has contacted the Japan Coast Guard for comment.

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The renowned artist died earlier this year.